The inclusion of people with disabilities and Rroma people in local elections continues to be problematic. The conclusion is part of "How inclusive are the general local elections of October 20, 2019?" monitoring report, developed by the East Europe Foundation.
The report presented at a press conference at IPN, by Polina Panainte, secretary of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, specifies that, compared to previous years, the situation is better. "Compared to previous polls, the issue of persons with disabilities is more present on the electoral platforms of the electoral contenders, which is gladdening," said Polina Panainte.
According to the report, only 15 people with disabilities are running in the general local elections on October 20. "The profile of people with disabilities is made up of eight women and seven men. Of these, four people are from the rural area and 11 from the urban area”, said Polina Panainte.
In the midst of the election campaign, starting October 11, the translation into the mimic-gestural language of TV shows and new bulletins has been suspended, the report states. "People with hearing impairments watch TV as a picture in which the image is moving. Without understanding the subject, "said Victor Koroli, executive director of Infotet Alliance.
"The accessibility conditions of the access roads to about 28 offices of the political parties from 10 cities in Moldova were evaluated. Only three of them have partially accessible conditions, the others being inaccessible,” said Victor Koroli.
As to the level of representation in local elections of Rroma people, the report shows that 42 Rroma people were registered as candidates for the position of local councillor. "Of the 42 candidates for the position of local councillor of first level, only 13 women have been registered as electoral contenders. Of them seven were included among the first ten candidates on the electoral lists," said Ion Duminică, an expert of the Voice of the Rroma Coalition.
Also, according to the report, the specific problems faced by Rroma people are insufficiently presented in the platforms of electoral contenders. "There have been identified only five electoral platforms, developed by three electoral contenders, which recognize the problems faced by the Rroma people as a vulnerable group and include positive actions aimed at supporting this group," Ion Duminică said.
The report was drawn up by East Europe Foundation under a project funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Government of Sweden.